barrafina

hey there! i knows it's been the longest time since i last posted a review; i've been out of town for the past few months. anyway, what's important is that i'm back in london for a bit so what follows is a few restaurant reviews! be on the look out for two more reviews. before i left london for a few months, barrafina had long been on my list. i had heard amazing things about the top-quality tapas from other bloggers so i knew that when i was back in london, barrafina would be the first place to visit. after visiting the christmas markets in south bank with my equally quirky companion, i headed back to soho with great haste in order to get there early.  you may be thinking, "why would i want to get to a restaurant early?" one possibility is that i may be rushing to attend some event. the other possibility is the combination of a no-reservation policy and a small seating capacity. in this case, i would reason towards the latter possibility. after arriving in soho, it took a while for me to locate the restuarant due to the inconspicuous external design but google maps soon aided my direction *thanks google*.  upon entering the restaurant, the first thing i had in mind was to join the queue. luckily, we were allowed to queue inside which protected us from the harsh winter weather outside. however, if you're one of those strange people who enjoy eating in the cold, you can opt to do so. the waiting time for eating outside is basically non-existent so good for you! for the rest of us warm-blooded folk, it took about 2 hours to get a seat! one thing that kept me going was the amazing food being served to the seated customers. my theory is that the chefs work extra hard on presentation to incentivise customers to wait longer. on the other hand, this theory isn't without fault as i recall rejoicing when a party of 4 left the queue. it was like playing a game of last man standing. if you wish, you can have a glass of wine or a small appetiser while waiting in the long line t

each course is as delicious as the last. due to being quite close to other people, you get to see what they are having and end up ordering other people's dishes. each dish has its own unique twist that makes it stand out.

this restaurant takes no reservations and with it being so popular with very limited seating, you’re bound to wait for an average time of 45 minutes. they don’t take your name and number so you can’t stroll around, you just wait there, so make sure you are with good company. all seats face the kitchen which is nice, i always like to see what’s going on while i’m eating.

tapas is perfect for those days when you don’t know what you ‘re craving. here was our selection:
* pan con tomate – you shouldn’t go to a tapas place and not have this bread. it was as delicious as always.
* this king prawn speaks for itself. it tasted as nice and fresh as it looked. 
apparently you can eat the shell, i have never tried that.
* courgette flower with melted goats cheese tempura, glazed with honey. i’m all about my meat and fish but this was my favourite by far, it blew me away! i will convert to being vegetarian for this little baby.
* the lamb had too much fat, too little meat and was lacking in flavour. i wouldn’t recommend this dish.
* octopus, i would normally have lemon with octopus but the capers made up for it, still it was a little too salty in my opinion.
* delicious and cheesy ham croquetas – another traditional dish you can’t go wrong with.
* the crèma catalana wasn’t very creamy. it had an orange flavor which i wasn’t a fan of and was almost like a christmas version of the original crèma catalana (or maybe i have the wrong idea of how one is meant to taste).

overall it was great, i would know what to pick for next time. it seemed that the more simple dishes were the best ones. its a very good quality tapas place and is worth a visit.

it's 6.30pm on a wednesday evening and i'm practically chomping at the bit i'm so starving. turning left out of tottenham court road tube, i get caught in a gridlocked pack of tourists and i have a strong urge to punch a particularly snail-paced, camera-clutching sightseer in the back of the head. i'm approaching barrafina and as i wind through soho square i grow panicked at the thought of not eating for the next hour because, without exception, every single review i've read of this frith street gastro-haven has detailed the eternal wait for a coveted stool at the l-shaped counter. you linger within tantalising sniffing distance from the iberican offerings for at least an hour, if not longer. it is to my great surprise, therefore, that when b and i turn up, there are two shiny, leather-topped bar stools with our names practically etched into them.

we practically leapfrogged onto them to secure what felt like thrones at the altar of spanish 'food of the gods'. first mission accomplished, with far more ease than anticipated. but how lucky we were; i do not exaggerate when i say that a mere ten minutes after we sat down, there was a queue of people pressed up against the wall and snaking out into the street. you have been warned... arrive at six thirty and no later.

the menu is a well-balanced combination of spanish tapas classics (pan con tomate, solomillo de ternera and pluma iberica with confit potatoes) and a couple of lesser known options (grilled quail with ali-i-oli and lamb sweetbreads). paired with the specials menu which boasts fresh fish and pork belly, you'd be hard pushed to lodge a complaint here. we start with a couple of croquetas de jamon - my absolute favourite when i was living in madrid - and happily chatted away as the waitress poured the wine.

then came the gambas al ajillo which where pretty heavenly if you don't mind peeling them yourself.

b ordered us the ham and spinach tortilla, which was cooked in a perfectly formed tiny frying pan and was reassuringly crisp on the outside, and deliciously gooey on the inside.

your whole dining experience is a show and you have front row seats. the chefs are the actors, overwhelmingly confident on the stage that is the open kitchen. you are given a peek into the implements they use, the secrets to their techniques and above all you witness their dedication to each individual dish. they quite rightly take pride in their creations as they present them to you with one final flourish.

the chorizo and potatoes are the flavours of spain through and through. in fact, just a single glance at the menu sends me right back to spain, what with the scattering of jerez (sherry) and spanish vino tinto (red wine) to accompany your iberican nourishment.

now for a dish which didn't tempt b but i just couldn't resist. a house favourite and very popular choice among regulars here, the tuna tartar is served with a 'quenelle' of guacamole (you know you've been watching too much masterchef when you know the word 'quenelle') which is a genius combination.

we decided to dip into the specials and try the skate wing and we were rewarded for going off-piste. topped with pine nuts and baby basil, the cut yielded a very decent amount of meaty fish and the sweet sauce which came with it sang with flavour. 

as we came to the end of our meal, it was becoming increasingly evident that barrafina is the perfect modern tapas bar. owners sam and eddie hart, the creators of fino in fitzrovia, returned to london from spain in 2002 and quite clearly brought with them a full repertoire of skills and inspiration. barrafina opend in 2007 as a homage to cal pep in barcelona which had been the brothers' favourite restaurant.

wallet damage: £40 for 6 plates to share and wine
ambience: suitable for those who don't mind noise and uncomfortable stools
reservations: none - too cool for school

as i’ve been to neither, i thought i’d pop my cherry with a visit to the original, which recently received a michelin star. i was pre-warned about the lengthy queues (they don’t take reservations) so we arrived at 5:45 and nabbed the last remaining stools. the open kitchen gave the place a lively atmosphere and our tatt-covered waitress was very charming indeed. we started with the cold meat platter (£13) which featured cecina de león, lomo ibérico de bellota, salchichón de vic and ...

the verdict on barrafina: i loved it. i really did. i’d go back tomorrow if the bank balance allowed it. sadly it does not – tapas of this quality doesn’t come cheap.

as this restaurant has recently got a michelin star, i'm intrigued to try it out and the food was great! my favourite dish has to be the octopus with capers which melt in my tongue and we had to order another portion of it. despite the one hour wait as they don't accept reservation and the busy and crowded place, i would still recommend this place just for food and wine. if possible avoid friday night! and... the mixed berries dessert was also divine.

this is the place to try if one wants to try authentic and original spanish in london. being my favourite since forever now, this place never falls short of my expectations. the one problem is that one cannot pre-book a table for reservation which might make you wait for a couple of minutes for the same. not exaclty cheap, one ends up paying 70 pounds for a dinner with wine and dessert.

the queue here is always extremely long and it is almost always right outside the door. the downside and the root cause of this problem is the limited counter seating. the tables also have usually a very long wait and it gets bothersome.
however, i decided to go on weekend and to my surprise i got seated very quickly.

this place is small and has only few tables and some bar stools/ the ambiance of the place is rather fun filled and watching the chef's prepare the ordered dishes is pretty entertaining. i had some brilliant dishes, here like the ham croquet's. however some of the other dishes were just alright. the service here was par excellence and i had no complaints at all!

barrafina

what: spanish tapas

where: soho

value: £30 pp

food review: each course is as delicious as the last. due to being quite close to other people, you get to see what they are having and end up ordering other people's dishes. each dish has its own unique twist that makes it stand out. the octupus is tantilisingly soft, the aoili is garlicky (in a good way), the sea bream is meaty and the courgette flower is sweet with honey and salty with goats cheese. this is finished off with creme brulee, spanish style with an underlying taste of cinnamon. all dishes will leave you wanting more.

settings review: a tiny restaurant from the outside, with not a lot of seating inside. this is due to the fact that the seating area takes place around the bar. this allows the diners a free show with there dinner and creates a more personal atmosphere.

positives: great selection, amazing taste

negatives: not a lot of space, come early as there are queues

3 words: delicious, unique, quirky

this place does not have reservation services and for all the right reasons is very much packed and busy. be prepared to have some delay in getting a table or arrive early, as it has first come first serve concept! must tries include tuna tartar and razor clam, very delicious! go hungry and enjoy their dishes!

i was visiting the place with very high expectations, and sadly left feeling very dissatisfied. the food was not at all appetizing and a complete put-off. the restaurant is tiny and not too bad if you manage to get in with the 1st seating. i left the place and ended up at another restaurant, which turned out to be a much positive experience.

one of the major usp of this place is that they keep on changing their specials on a regular basis and customers get a varied selection of items to try in their mains. i would definitely recommend their melt in the mouth pork. all the dishes that i have tried my hands on were delectable. must visit!

a place where you can look over the food while being prepared and the technique with with they are preparing is interesting to watch making one feel all the hungry and makes the wait less of a hassle! already been to this place thrice and surely returning again! vibrant and upbeating atmosphere and of course such good food!